Archive for Tony Bennett

We're coming up on July 23rd, the anniversary of the passing of Amy Winehouse. I was a big fan. When talking this over with a few buds, someone mentioned the 27 Club. I'd never heard of it and was wondering if it was in LA (where I live) or NY or somewhere else. They laughed and said I couldn't get in anyway. It's restricted. They didn't let my kind in.

"And what kind is that?" I barked.

"Living."

I was a bit surprised. A famous club for the dead? That seemed odd. What I found out was that it was stranger yet. Not just were the members deceased, they all died at age 27, hence the name.

Hmm. I remembered Amy Winehouse was 27 when she passed. But who else got into this exclusive club? Then my friends listed off the other members and it really freaked me out.

Could you imagine an album with all of these artists? Amy Winehouse, Brian Jones (Rolling Stones), Jimi Hendrix, Alan Wilson (Canned Heat), Janis Joplin (Big Brother & the Holding Company), Jim Morrison (the Doors) Kurt Cobain(Nirvana), Robert Johnson (blues legend),Jean-Michel Basquait (Gray), Kristen Pfaff (Hole), and Ron McKernan (The Grateful Dead). I found a bit of irony in the McKernan group's name and his membership in the 27 Club.

Then I started to really wonder. What is there about that number?

It's a mystery any way you look at it, and perhaps you could pick another year/age and find there were a group of celebrity deaths at that age -- but for right now, it's the 27 club.

And in memory of Amy and in honor of her induction into the 27 Club, here's a little reminder of the great talent that joined that club. Here she is with the great Tony Bennett -- Body and Soul.

When the Beatles came out with their mega hit "She Loves You", the "yeah, yeah, yeah" lyric was scoffed at by parents everywhere. "You call that music?!" they sneered. A lot of good that did. Beatlemania raged on and anyone over 30 was looked upon with disdain... until rock stars and their fans had a few more birthdays.